Non-Singular Bouncing Universes in Loop Quantum Cosmology

The big bang singularity of the expanding-universe Friedmann solution of the Einstein gravitational field equation can be regularized by the introduction of a degenerate metric and a nonzero length scale $b$. The result is a nonsingular bounce of the cosmic scale factor with a contracting prebounce phase and an expanding postbounce phase. The corresponding maximum values of the curvature and the energy density occur at the moment of the bounce and are proportional to powers o...

While loop quantum cosmology (LQC) predicts a robust quantum bounce of the background evolution of a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) spacetime prior to the standard slow-roll inflation, whereby the big bang singularity is resolved, there are several different quantization procedures to cosmological perturbations, for instance, {\em the deformed algebra, dressed metric, and hybrid quantizations}. This paper devotes to study the quantum bounce effects of primordial perturbatio...

Singularities in general relativity such as the big bang and big crunch, and exotic singularities such as the big rip are the boundaries of the classical spacetimes. These events are marked by a divergence in the curvature invariants and the breakdown of the geodesic evolution. Recent progress on implementing techniques of loop quantum gravity to cosmological models reveals that such singularities may be generically resolved because of the quantum gravitational effects. Due t...

We develop a consistent analytic approach to determine the conditions under which slow roll inflation can arise when the inflaton is the same scalar field that is responsible for the bounce in Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC). We find that the requirement that the energy density of the field is fixed at the bounce having to match a critical density has important consequences for its future evolution. For a generic potential with a minimum, we find different scenarios depending on...

A non-singular bouncing cosmology is generically obtained in loop quantum cosmology due to non-perturbative quantum gravity effects. A similar picture can be achieved in standard general relativity in the presence of a scalar field with a non-standard kinetic term such that at high energy densities the field evolves into a ghost condensate and causes a non-singular bounce. During the bouncing phase, the perturbations can be stabilized by introducing a Horndeski operator. Taki...

In this paper, we first provide a brief review of the effective dynamics of two recently well-studied models of modified loop quantum cosmologies (mLQCs), which arise from different regularizations of the Hamiltonian constraint and show the robustness of a generic resolution of the big bang singularity, replaced by a quantum bounce due to non-perturbative Planck scale effects. As in loop quantum cosmology (LQC), in these modified models the slow-roll inflation happens generic...

Scenario of a bouncing universe is one of the most active area of research to arrive at singularity free cosmological models. Different proposals have been suggested to avoid the so called 'big bang' singularity through the quantum aspect of gravity which is yet to have a proper understanding. In this work, on the contrary, we consider three different approaches, each of which goes beyond General Relativity but remain within the domain of classical cosmological scenario, to a...

We discuss how initial conditions for cosmological evolution can be defined in Loop Quantum Cosmology with massive scalar field and how the presence of the bounce influences the probability of inflation in this theory, compared with General Relativity. The main finding of the paper is existence of an attractor in the contracting phase of the universe, which results in special conditions at the bounce, quite independent on the measure of initial conditions in the remote past, ...

Different approaches to quantum gravity, such as loop quantum cosmology and group field theory, predict the resolution of the initial cosmological singularity via a 'bounce': a regular spacetime region that connects the expanding branch of the universe to a contracting branch. The cosmological arrow of time, which by definition points in the direction of cosmic expansion, is reversed at the bounce. Nonetheless, it is still possible to discriminate between the two branches by ...

Using the reconstruction method, we investigate which $F(R)$ theories, with or without the presence of matter fluids, can produce the matter bounce scenario of holonomy corrected Loop Quantum Cosmology. We focus our study in two limits of the cosmic time, the large cosmic time limit and the small cosmic time limit. For the former, we found that, in the presence of non-interacting and non-relativistic matter, the $F(R)$ gravity that reproduces the late time limit of the matter...